My Winter Rosacea Skin Care Routine to Stop Flare-Ups Before They Happen

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

When I stepped out the door to walk the dogs this morning, the sun was shining brightly despite the fact that it was -9ºC with a wind chill factor of -16ºC. At this time last year, the weather in my little part of Canada didn’t even require a winter coat. This year, winter arrived early and with a vengeance. To prevent spending the rest of the season with burning, bright red cheeks, I’ve had to get my act together and put my winter rosacea skin care routine together.

Winter’s cold and windy weather is a disaster for those of us whose cheeks are rosy at the best of times. Even if you live in a part of the world that doesn’t experience extremes of cold that are quite as intense as mine, the odds are that your winters are far cooler, rainier or snowier than your summers. If your skin’s anything like mine, that means you’re going to need to switch up your skin care products and the way you use them.

Transitioning from Summer to Winter Skin Care for Rosacea

I usually start my winter rosacea skin care transition in the autumn. That gives my skin enough time to get used to the products by the time the cold weather has truly arrived. This year, I didn’t have as much of a chance to do that as is usually the case. Before I knew it, winter had simply arrived.

While there are lots of overall changes I make to protect my skin from the cold – sitting away from fireplaces/heating vents, wearing a scarf over my face to protect it from the wind, using a humidifier in my room at night, and so on – today I’m going to focus on the actual skin care products I use and the way I use them.

I take a lot of care in designing my winter skin care routine. Every year it’s a little bit different because I’m continually tweaking and updating it. I learn more about my rosacea symptoms and triggers all the time, which helps me to gradually perfect my skin care routine from one season to the next.

My Basic Winter Rosacea Skin Care Routine

This year, my winter rosacea skin care routine consists of the following. I adhere to it extremely strictly because consistency is one of the most important parts of my flare-up avoidance efforts.

Cleanser – This is one part of my skin care routine that can stay the same throughout the year. I use a creamy, non-foaming, exceptionally gentle cleanser throughout the year. I feel that consistency with this product helps to make the transition to some of the other products a little easier. I wash my face twice per day – once in the morning after I walk the dogs and once last thing at night – with water on the cooler side of warm and my fingertips, not a facecloth or sponge.
Tonic – Although many toners are too harsh for rosacea-prone skin, I’ve had a lot of luck with a tonic that helps to restore my skin’s pH balance after cleansing. I give my face a light spray with the product immediately after I wash my face, while it’s still damp.
Moisturizer – While a lotion is often enough for my skin in the summer, the wintertime requires a heavier cream if I’m going to avoid lizard-like scaly skin, particularly around the outer part of my cheeks and my chin. I apply my gentle face cream before the tonic has fully dried. Once I’ve spread it evenly over my face, I tap my face very lightly with my fingertips. Recently I learned that gently tapping a moisturizer into your skin is considerably more effective at encouraging its absorption than rubbing your face. I also find that my skin doesn’t turn as pink when I apply my moisturizer by drumming my fingertips all over my face instead of trying to rub it in. Yes, I might look like I’m attempting to play the piano on my cheeks but I feel that I’m getting more out of my moisturizer this way, so it’s worth it!

Other Rosacea Skin Care Products I Love in Wintertime

Those products make up the very core of my rosacea skin care routine for the winter.

However, I also use certain other products for specific purposes that I feel are worth discussing.

Rosacea salve – As I mentioned earlier, I walk dogs every morning. They’re a neighbour’s dogs and I love them to bits. As long as it’s above -17ºC you’ll see me, a Yorkshire Terrier and a Boston Terrier all bundled up and headed down the street, trudging through the snow. At that temperature, a scarf isn’t enough to cover my face. I spread a rosacea salve rich with seabuckthorn seed and fruit oils, chamomile oil and several other fantastic ingredients over my cheeks to keep the bite of the cold and wind from affecting my symptoms. I wash it off as soon as I get home.
Sunscreen (sun cream) – The cold doesn’t stop UV rays from reaching my skin. Since the sun is one of the top rosacea triggers, I feel that it’s just as important to use sunscreen throughout the winter months as it is to use it in the summertime. The only difference is that I need it only on my face as that’s the one part of my skin that still experiences direct sun exposure. Since I have yet to find a chemical sun cream that doesn’t cause my skin to flare up, I use an all-natural product based on zinc oxide. I apply it directly to my face or, on very cold days, I apply it on top of the rosacea salve. I wash it all off once I get home again.
Exfoliator – I gently exfoliate my face with an all natural product that uses jojoba beads (not plastic microbeads!) to encourage the loosening of dead skin cells or any product buildup so they can be washed away. In the summer, I do this twice per week (as long as I’m not having a flare-up at the time), but in the winter, I drop this practice back to once per week. Exfoliating is still important, but as my skin needs more gentle care in the winter, I don’t do it as often.
Hydrating mask – To help to inject some life back into my skin after it is continually dried out in heated buildings and the frigid windy weather outside, I use a deep hydrating moisture mask. It is an all-natural product that I spread over my face at night. It gradually sinks in throughout the night and helps to replace more of the lost moisture. This product is one that I use once per week in the summer but that I use twice per week in the winter.

With these winter rosacea skin care products and a careful effort to drink lots of water and avoid triggers, I can typically manage to keep my symptoms under control and the number of flare-ups I experience to a minimum. In that effort, I have also included a daily home LED light therapy treatment into my routine, as well. I’ll be sure to tell you more about that in my next blog post in January 2017!

Do you have favourite products for winter skin care for rosacea? Please share them in the comments. I’d love to hear about them!

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7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was First Diagnosed With Rosacea

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

It’s my birthday this month and I’ve recently taken the time to go over some of the things I’ve done in the last year. Call it a dry run for New Year. This year, I’ve applied myself to understanding, overcoming and covering my rosacea symptoms as never before. That’s saying a lot considering that I received a diagnosis more than 15 years ago and have been learning about it ever since.

As I’ve thought about the various skin care and cosmetic products I’ve tried this year, the dozens upon dozens of videos I’ve made on my rosacea vlog on YouTube, and the posts I’ve made on my blog, it has made me realize that I’ve come a long way in a short time. Now that I know what I have learned in the last few months, it would be great to be able to travel back in time and share it all with my younger self.

Since time machines haven’t been invented, it dawned on me that there are an awful lot of people out there who have just received their own diagnoses and while I may not be able to talk to my younger self about what I know about rosacea, sharing it here might help someone else who is struggling the way I first did.

I’m not a doctor, a dermatologist or a skin care expert, but I know what I wish I’d known when I was first diagnosed with rosacea.

1 – Rosacea is not acne

I loathe the term “acne rosacea.” It makes my blood boil (and my skin flush, of course). It is such a misleading term. The fact that some doctors use it frustrates me even more. Rosacea is not acne. These are two separate conditions. They can look similar, but they’re caused by very different things.

My first diagnosis for the redness and bumps I was getting on my skin was for acne. I was given a powerful prescription acne cream. Despite the fact that I had exceptionally dry skin that became somewhat scaly in the winter, I believed my doctor’s diagnosis. Why wouldn’t I? He was a great doctor. I applied the cream every morning and every night. It bleached my pillowcase, towels and some shirts, and my skin became increasingly red, but I dutifully followed the directions on the jar. Finally, the skin on my face started peeling off in thin, paper-like sheets. I gave up.

Frustrated and thinking I had some weird form of acne that just wouldn’t go away, I didn’t bring it up with the doctor again for another year or two.

2 – Even the right prescriptions don’t always work

During that time, I poked around online to see if I could find out if anyone else had “acne” like mine. The more I researched, the more it looked like I had something called “rosacea.” I’d never heard of it before. I read into it extensively and during my next visit at the doctor’s office, I asked if that might be what I had. After a few minor skin checks and a short conversation, I received my first rosacea diagnosis and a prescription for another cream – this one for the right condition.

Again, I applied the cream day and night. After around seven weeks, I started to notice a light fading in my symptoms. After around nine weeks, the symptoms came back and the only difference I saw was in the extreme sensitivity my skin had developed to sunlight. I could burn in five minutes. After five months, the symptoms were no better and I gave up on that as well.

Little did I know that a huge number of rosacea sufferers aren’t helped by prescriptions. Some people find that the first prescription they try is effective. Others have to try several before they find the right one. I am in the group that doesn’t seem to have any prescription available that will help.

3 – There is no cure for rosacea

Frustrated with the loss of time and money on the prescription that didn’t work, I went online again. I started to look for a rosacea cure. It had to be out there. The more I searched, the more I found products, treatments and even home remedies that claimed to be the ultimate cure. People who had symptoms even worse than mine (according to their pictures) reported that they’d “cured” their rosacea with this one simple herbal concoction, “miracle solution” or “scientifically proven serum.”

Over time, I spent a fortune in money and effort trying to use these cures. They didn’t work. Two of them made things worse than they were, to begin with.

I wish I could have come to terms with the fact that there is no cure for rosacea. It’s possible to get your symptoms under control and prevent a flare-up, but a cure does not exist (yet). Most people claiming they have the cure are selling something. Those who aren’t don’t understand their condition. They may have their symptoms under control, but they haven’t yet realised that the symptoms could return if the right trigger sets them off.

4 – Giving up will only make things worse

After trying so many “cures,” that didn’t work, I gave up for a while. I ignored the redness and accepted the fact that I would feel ugly for the rest of my life. I stopped applying makeup. It only made my skin burn more than it already was on its own. I didn’t even bother moisturising every day. In the summer, I wouldn’t use it at all.

This made my symptoms worse. I blame this span of time for some of the permanent redness I now have in my face. While I can get my symptoms under control and fade the redness to a lighter pink, some of the extra colour will never go away. I think it’s because I let the condition worsen by giving up on both treating the condition and caring for my delicate, reactive skin. Had I known my sulk would lead to permanent consequences, I may not have stopped quite so easily.

5- The sun is wonderful, but not for rosacea

I have always loved sunlight. It feels wonderful. I didn’t apply sunscreen for the first time until I was eighteen years old. Until I was nineteen, my backyard had a swimming pool in it and my sister and I spent most of our summers either swimming or sunning. I worked very hard to find that balance between a nice tan and a horrible burn. Having very pale skin, both my sister and I have suffered terrible, blistering sunburns.

It wasn’t until I spent four days in agony after a massive sunburn that I finally took sunscreen seriously. Since then, I’ve been very particular about sun protection. I still love going out into the sunlight, but I protect my skin – particularly my face – with good quality natural physical barrier sunscreen.

Of all the skin care products I use on my face, sunscreen has been the most difficult to find because many common ingredients in those products are rosacea triggers for me. I have found that applying a very good quality natural product before heading outside and then washing it off the moment I come inside is the key for my skin. I also wear large-brimmed hats and have been known to carry parasols.

Even the lightest kiss of sunlight now causes my rosacea-prone skin to redden. I wish I could tell my younger self to start protecting herself from sunlight earlier. I now have very visible photo-damage and most products meant to overcome, that actually cause problems with rosacea, so my options are very limited.

6 – There is no single product that will eliminate all rosacea symptoms

Until about two years ago, my hunt has always been for a cream, lotion, pill, serum or another form of treatment that would take my rosacea symptoms away. I’ve come to realise that one of the reasons I’d been so unsuccessful until recently is that I’ve led myself to believe that one thing could make it all go away.

Unfortunately, that’s one thing does not exist. Rosacea is a very complex condition that involves a spectrum of triggers and symptoms. Therefore, if I continue to allow triggers such as spicy food, sunlight, alcohol, heat, humidity and others into my life, any treatment – even an effective one – simply doesn’t have a shot. I wish I’d known this years ago. I could have paid more attention to triggers and would have been less focused on thinking one product would be the miracle I’ve been waiting for.

7 – I need to live a “Rosy Life” to keep my rosacea symptoms away

I’ve called it “living the Rosy Life.” It’s my way of putting a positive spin on the many changes I’ve made to my lifestyle in the name of rosacea prevention and healing. I have tracked, identified and reduced my triggers. I’ve changed what I eat to include more anti-inflammatory foods and fewer trigger foods. I’ve started using soap nuts instead of traditional laundry detergent (one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!). I’ve been using LED light therapy at home on a (nearly) daily basis. I’ve started using very high-quality skin care designed for my type of skin.

I’ve also kept an open mind, I read up on the latest studies and I’m willing to try new things in a patient, “scientific” way. It all seemed like a nuisance at first but now I feel like the changes I’m making are actually having a very positive influence on my life and health as a whole. I’m eating healthfully. I’m exercising regularly. I haven’t felt as healthy and fit in a long time. Living the Rosy Life helps me to prevent my rosacea symptoms from occurring and heal the ones that appear on occasion. At the same time, it has taught me to take better care of myself as a whole.

If only I’d known about all these changes fifteen years ago…

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What’s in My Rosacea Flare-Up First Aid Kit?

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

The best way to survive a rosacea flare-up is to stop it from happening in the first place. Easier said than done!

I’ve been living the Rosy Life for 16 years. I eat foods to avoid rosacea triggers and boost skin health while keeping inflammation down. I sleep on sheets washed in rosacea-friendly natural detergent. I use sunscreen every time I even approach natural light. I avoid spicy foods (mostly), alcohol (okay, I’m only human), and heavy lifting (no problem). I read ingredients on all skincare and am very strict about keeping up my routine. Still, rosacea flare-ups happen.

There are rosacea triggers that simply can’t be avoided: heat waves, frigid weather, stress, hormones…the list goes on. If you have rosacea, flare-ups are a part of your life. Some of us have them all the time, some of us have them very rarely. The key is to be prepared to deal with them. For me, being prepared means having a “first aid kit” for calming rosacea symptoms as they occur.

Depending on where I am, the contents of the kit will be different. After all, I can’t exactly keep a cucumber in my handbag just in case I need to blend one up and apply it to my face! The following are the current contents of my rosacea flare-up first aid kits based on whether I’m at home or not.

Cooling a Rosacea Flare-Up at Home

What’s in my kit?

Water
Ice packs
Red and amber LED light therapy
Cucumber or green tea

The first step is to start drinking water. Give your body what it needs to cool down from the inside out. Water is vital to your body’s temperature regulation and to the health of your skin. If a flare-up on its way, start drinking water and keep sipping on a regular basis.

Next, comes the ice packs. I know that some people are tempted to apply an ice pack directly to the inflamed skin. I’m of a different mindset. Since I know that my skin reacts very badly to extreme cold in the wintertime, this makes me believe that applying ice directly to my face may not be a good idea. Instead, I take one or two ice packs – the small-size gel kind meant for children’s first aid are perfect – and hold them against the back of my neck for around 10 minutes or so. As surprising as it sounds, it actually feels very good since rosacea flare-ups tend to make me overheated.

While I have the ice on my neck, I turn to my red and amber LED light therapy. This isn’t laser or IPL. It’s a very strong LED light powerhead that puts out certain very bright wavelengths of red and yellow (amber) light. I was fortunate enough to be a part of a product trial for this type of light therapy, and I haven’t stopped using it since. For me, it quickly clears the discomfort like burning, itching and stinging. The redness is cooled gradually but more quickly than it would on its own.

Once the light therapy session is done, I often apply either green tea (chilled) or cucumber paste (pieces of cucumber I’ve blitzed in the blender) to my face for about 20 minutes to a half hour. This step feels fantastic and is the perfect cooling final stage of my flare-up busting strategy.

Soothing a Rosacea Flare-up While Away from Home

Obviously, light therapy and a fresh cucumber mask are out of the question while away from home at work, at a restaurant or shopping. In these cases, my rosacea flare-up first-aid kit is slightly different.

What’s in my kit?

Water
Thermal water (travel-size can)
Instant-cold ice pack
Mineral green concealer powder (talc-free)
Mineral foundation powder (talc-free)
A super-soft mini-kabuki makeup brush

Just like when you’re at home, drinking water is the first step. Cool your body down and hydrate. This sounds too simple to work, but it does help.

Secondly, mist your face with thermal water. This provides an immediate cooling sensation without irritating your face or upsetting any skin care products or makeup you happen to be wearing.

Thirdly, have an instant-cold ice pack with you. These are the type they sell for first aid kits and that don’t need to be frozen because they are made from chemicals that freeze when they mix together. As with the gel ice packs at home, don’t place this against your face; even if it is tempting. Place it against the back of your neck, under your arms, or even on the bottoms of your feet. These locations will cool you down the fastest.

If it doesn’t look like this will be enough to reduce your redness, a touch of green mineral concealer to neutralise the redness, followed by a thin layer or two of mineral foundation powder can help you to hide it. Use gentle, circular motions with a very soft brush to apply the powders then spritz your face with a little more thermal water to give a more natural and finished look to the makeup (and to enjoy a bit more cooling).

Sure, makeup might not be the best thing for your skin, but if you’re away from home and you don’t want to look as red as a tomato, it can help to cool your embarrassment if not your skin. Since anxiety plays a huge role in flushed skin, keeping calm by knowing the redness isn’t showing can make a big difference.

I hope this helps you through your next rosacea flare-up. Do you have different items in your emergency kit? Please share them in the comments!

If you’d like to learn more about the things I do to prevent flare-ups and cope with my rosacea, please visit my blog – www.treatrosacea.wordpress.com – or my YouTube Channel: Rosy JulieBC.

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Rosacea – A Day in the Life of

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

Sarah Jagger, Celebrity makeup artist and rosacea sufferer, recently embarked on a venture which aimed to shed new light on the struggles those with rosacea will experience day to day. As a part of Galderma’s ‘Experience my Rosacea’ campaign, Sarah used her makeup artistry to show the true visual extent of a rosacea flare-up.

Throughout the day, Sarah was very aware of the people around her, feeling extremely self-conscious and anxious, “I spend my time helping people cover up their imperfections and help them feel confident in their skin. However, during this experience I felt increasingly conscious of those around me, constantly wondering what they were thinking. It was completely isolating.”

Rosacea is a common skin condition where those affected experience red rash-like symptoms on their face. Current figures suggest as many as 1 in 10 people are affected by rosacea. Symptoms can vary in their severity, with symptoms being at their worst during a ‘flare-up’. These can include a burning or stinging sensation on the skin, the formation of red bumps on the skin, spots, skin dryness, plaques (raised red patches of skin), and swelling or thickening of the skin.

Further to the physical symptoms, many of those who suffer with rosacea also struggle with the psychological impact of the condition. Due to the fact that rosacea tends to affect the face, many often experience low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, with some socially isolating themselves in fear of how people will react to their red, blotchy and swollen skin.

Working together with Embarrassing Bodies’ Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Anton Alexandroff, Consultant Dermatologist at University Hospitals Leicester, Sarah Jagger walked through the streets of London to see how the public reacted to her rosacea symptoms. On the day, members of the public were interviewed about their awareness of rosacea. Of those who did know what it was, the majority held incorrect perceptions about it, with many thinking that the red facial flushing commonly seen in those living with the condition was caused by drinking alcohol.

Earlier this year, talkhealth conducted a survey to find out what knowledge our membership had, if any, of rosacea. Despite being so common, many were unaware of what rosacea really was. Surprisingly, out of the participants we surveyed who answered that they did not currently have rosacea; many of them reported they had been experiencing rosacea-related symptoms.

Through campaigns such as ‘Experience my Rosacea’, awareness and understanding of the condition should become more prevalent. With so many people suffering in silence, the need for understanding and psychological support continues to grow.

If you are experiencing any physical or psychological symptoms associated with rosacea, and you believe you may have the condition, please visit your GP. If you have any questions regarding your condition, or you want to share best practice, please visit our talkrosacea forum and speak with our growing rosacea community.

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